Testing -MT- PPT Flashcards
Pragmatic Knowledge
(Definition)
How utterances or sentences are related to the communicative goals of the language user and to the features of the language use setting
Pragmatic Knowledge
(2 Categories)
A. Functional Knowledge
B. Sociolinguistic Knowledge
Sociolinguistic Knowledge
(def)
utterances,sentences,texts related to features of Language use Settings
-i.e. knowledge of genres, dialects/ varieties, registers, natural or idiomatic expressions, cultural references and figures of speech
Functional Knowledge
how utterances or sentences and texts are related to the:
communicative goals of language users
(knowledge of ideational, manipulative, heuristic, imaginative functions)
Areas of Metacognitive Strategy Use
- Goal Setting (deciding what one is going to do)
- Appraising (taking stock of what needed)
- Planning (deciding how to use what one has)
Goal Setting
(deciding what one is going to do)
Appraising
taking stock of what
- needed
- one has to work with
- how well one has done
Planning
deciding how to use what one has
Approaches to language testing
- The essay-translation approach (pre-scientific era)
- The structuralist approach (psychometric era)
- The integrative approach (psycholinguistic-sociolinguistic era)
- The communicative approach
The essay-translation approach (pre-scientific era)
- Reading/Writing (to analyse language, out of context)
- Translation (no practical/communicative purpose)
- Formal aspect of language (gramm. analysis)
- No speaking or listening
- Pre-scientific era (no need for expertise to make tests)
- Culture and bias towards the language under study
The structuralist approach (psychometric era)
- No context
- Detached sentences or vocabulary
- Individual skills at a time
- Habit formation the basic underlying principle
- Belief in structure in the language and that learning a language is equal to mastering those structures, through ample practice
- Reliable measurement was important (psychometrics)
- Since sub-skills lend themselves better to measurement, no direct testing
The integrative approach (psycholinguistic-sociolinguistic era)
- Language skills were not separated
- Skills are measured integratively
- Global view of proficiency
- Interviews, essay writing, dictation, cloze are examples of tests of this type.
The communicative approach
- Communication is basic importance (little attention to accuracy)
- Language integratively w/ communication
- Use (specific purposes) over usage (knowing about the language)
- Needs-based (you need to know specific students’ needs before making the test)
- Profiles of abilities w/ various degrees of detail
Why do we test?
- Compare and/or select students
- Locate areas of difficulty
- Increase teachers’ efficiency
- Evaluate the effectiveness of Syllabus/Methods/Materials
- Reinforce learning
Purposes of language tests
- Identification of students’ weaknesses and strengths
- Screening, selection and placement
- Measure Ss’ ability in language
- Measure Ss’ learning
- Research Criteria
Types of tests
- Diagnostic tests
- Placement tests
- Proficiencytests
- Achievement tests
- Computer Adaptive Tests
Assessment for learning
- Goal
Making learners aware of the ‘gap’ b/w
- Now possible
- Goal in language learning
Assessment for learning
- Approach
Pragmatic approach to classroom assessment
Assessment for Learning
- Characteristics
- Traditional/sequential approach to classroom assessment vs.
- Formative assessment to improve learning (not to compare learners with one another)
- Diagnosis of individual learning needs
- Modification of teaching and learning activities
- Improvement of students’ motivation and self- esteem (feedback on learning)
- Providing feedback on work rather than scores
Assessment for learning
- Adjusting teaching practice
improve learning through assessment
Assessment for learning
-Questioning
Initiation-Response-Feedback pattern:
longer wait times
Assessment for learning
-Task design
- Open-ended tasks
- Group-/peer-tasks
- Collaborative tasks
- ‘Noticing the gap’ tasks
Assessment for learning
- Techniques for improving motivation through collaboration, involvement and responsibility in learning and assessment
- Self- and peer-assessment
- Portfolio assessment
Self- and peer-assessment
- learners given the criteria (teachers judge work)
- learners trained to rate themselves and peers
- learners aware of ‘gap’ b/w -produced now-target performance-
- potential drawbacks: extensive training required, time allotment, results can fluctuate, or be dependable for short periods of time
